An Indian firm has made the first successful launch of its privately-built orbital rocket.
Agnikul Cosmos, a space start-up based in Chennai, achieved a significant milestone on Thursday with the successful launch of their 3D-printed, semi-cryogenic Agnibaan Sub-Orbital Technology Demonstrator (SOrTeD) into space.
The aerospace company took to X and announced the successful completion of the first flight - Mission 01 of Agnibaan SOrTeD – from India’s first and only private Launchpad within SDSC-SHAR at Sriharikota.
"All the mission objectives of this controlled vertical ascent flight were met and performance was nominal," Agnikul Cosmos posted on its X account. "The vehicle was completely designed in-house and was powered by the world’s first single piece 3d printed engine and also happens to be India’s first flight with a semi-cryo engine."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the company for its feat and wrote on X that the successful launch was a "momentous occasion for India’s space sector and a testament to the remarkable ingenuity of our Yuva Shakti [youth power]."
Srinath Ravichandran, co-founder and CEO of Agnikul Cosmos, said in a statement that the launch was the culmination of thousands of hours of reviews and hard work by the team.
He also hailed IN-SPACe and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for their support in designing and building original space-worthy hardware in India.
The rocket is capable of carrying an impressive payload of up to 300 kg to a 700 km-altitude orbit.
The Agnibaan launch is seen as a major step forward, as it has an Agnilket semi-cryogenic engine that utilizes a mix of sub-cooled liquid oxygen-based propulsion system developed indigenously.
The start-up has fitted the vehicle with a state-of-the-art ethernet-based avionics architecture and fully in-house developed autopilot software, both of which are pioneering advancements by India.